Callie Kemmer Wins Nittany Lion Invitational

HAPPY VALLEY, Pa. -
Freshman Callie Kemmer took home the individual championship trophy at the Nittany Lion Invitational on Sunday. Kemmer was participating in her first tournament as a Bulldog. She shot two rounds of 73 (+1) on Saturday and finished off Sunday with a round of 74 (+2). Kemmer's round of 73 on Saturday afternoon was the day's low round. Overall, she shot a tournament of 220 (+4), finishing four shots better than second place.

"It's very exciting to see Callie win," said senior captain Natasha Spackey. "Everyone realizes the potential that is there."

As a team, the Bulldogs finished in seventh place with a final round of 303. Their three-day total of 937 (+73) put them just two shots behind last year's Ivy League Championship runner-up Columbia, and five shots behind Princeton. The tournament was won by William and Mary with a total score of 909 (+45). The host school Penn State finished in second, with Longwood University right behind them in third.

"Our biggest challenge this tournament was our short game," said Spackey. "We just couldn't get used to the greens and make putts when we needed them. We had a rainy practice round which made the conditions soggy for Saturday and kept play slow."

Yale's highest scorer, other than Kemmer, was senior Erica Im, with a total of 234 (+18). She shot a final round of 79 (+7) to finish tied for 24th. One shot behind her was sophomore Alyssa Roland, who finished tied for 29th with a score of 235 (+19). Spackey finished one shot behind Roland, with a round of 78 (+6) on Sunday. Her three-round total was 236 (+20), placing her in a tied for 32nd. Sophomore Cassie Boles rounded out Yale's top four, with a strong Sunday round of 76 (+4). She finished in a tie for 37th, with a total score of 238 (+21).

"While we obviously aren't excited about seventh place, there are some encouraging signs," said Spackey. "Our highest scores today and, for the most part, the entire tournament were at or under 80. This is going to be a key for us this year. We need to keep scores manageable."

Yale's fifth player, sophomore Harriet Owers-Bradley, had a solid tournament going, with rounds of 79 and 77 on Saturday. After shooting a round of 79 on Sunday, she was disqualified because of a misreported score on her final scorecard. Her scorekeeper had been misreporting scores all day and Owers-Bradley kept telling her to correct them. One of the scores did not get corrected and Owers-Bradley missed it before signing her card. Erica Im had also shot a 79 so the team score was not affected.

"It's a learning experience," said Spackey. "It's one of those things where you know the rule, but it's never really an issue. But now everyone knows to double check their cards before signing. We are just lucky that it didn't affect our team score."

Sara Ovadia of Columbia finished in second place behind Kemmer. She shot Sunday's low round of 72 (E) en route to a tournament score of 224 (+8). Caroline Sweet of William and Mary, Giulia Carando of Penn State and Morgan Stepanek of William and Mary all tied for third place, with tournament scores of 225 (+9). Tied for sixth was Susannah Aboff of Princeton, who won last year's Ivy League Individual Championship. She finished with a round of 226 (+10), six shots behind Yale's Callie Kemmer.

"Everyone kept their morale up this weekend," said Spackey. "They stayed positive throughout the whole round and are working hard towards the Ivy Championship."

The Bulldogs will return to action at the Yale Intercollegiate tournament hosted at the Yale Golf Course on September 27-28.